The Terror of the Anomalous Vegetation
The Terror of the Anomalous Vegetation is the fifteenth episode of the 1979 series Cyborg 009. Plot Summary The sudden death of a prominent agricultural scientist brings Dr. Gilmore and the 00 cyborgs to a country known for its agriculture, and a secret government project that focuses on creating new farming methods. But as the 00 cyborgs learn, Mother Nature is not something that can be easily tamed by mankind... Recap The episode begins at night as the 00 cyborgs hang out at Dr. Gilmore's house. Joe Shimamura is engaged in a card game with Chang Changku, Great Britain, and Jet Link. Britain was about to put down a winning card when Jet catches him cheating and forces his fellow 00 cyborg to reveal another card hidden in his sleeves. This causes the other 00 cyborgs to laugh at Britain's fortune. Francoise Arnoul and Dr. Gilmore himself are looking out the window when they see a car traveling towards their house. The owner of the car seems to be in a hurry, when suddenly his car explodes via a hidden bomb, severely injuring the man. Dr. Gilmore and the 00 cyborgs (sans Ivan Whisky) rush to the man's aid. The man reveals that he is called from a place called "Palneshia" and mentions something about geothermal energy before dying. The next morning, Dr. Gilmore and the 00 cyborgs solemnly ponder on the meaning of the man's words. Joe wonders about Palneshia, prompting Chang to explain that the Republic of Palneshia (as it is called) is a beautiful country that is a prominent center of agriculture. It is known for its rich and abundant variety of crops. Joe asks about the events occuring in Palneshia, and Dr. Gilmore answers that with the sudden death of Professor Toita (the man whose car blew up), what happens there is a mystery. He explains that Toita was a prominent scientist skilled in agriculture and that he was engaged in a secret research project overseas. Dr. Gilmore then laments how sad it was for the world to lose a brilliant and valuable man like Toita. Chang suggests that Toita discovered some horrible secret that caused him to immigrate to Japan, possibly to warn Dr. GIlmore and the 00 cyborgs. Britain wonders what the horrible secret Toita discovered might be. The discussion eventually leads to the 00 cyborgs' unanimous decision to travel to Palneshia, so they can investigate the true reason behind Toita's sudden death and learn about the project he was working on. The 00 cyborgs travel to Palneshia via their ship ''The Dolphin''. Francoise points out that the population of Palneshia is approximately thirty million and the country's size is ten times bigger than Japan. Chang complains that their investigations will be difficult because of it. Joe assures him that they now know the exact location of Toita at the time he fled Palneshia. As the Dolphin flies over Palneshia's fields, Chang notices how lush and virtile their farms are and wishes he had such lands as a farmer. He then explains that before becoming a 00 cyborg, his life as a farmer was ridden with constant hardship, with his crops producing bad and rotten food every year. Jet tries to cheer him up by telling him not to think of his painful past anymore. After the Dolphin lands, the 00 cyborgs begin their investigations, exploring Palneshia for clues on the geothermal energy Toita mentioned. Chang and Geronimo Jr. come across a huge cornfield where Chang picks out some corn that looks very ripe. But upon close inspection, the corn looks rotten. As they investigate the cornfield, the two 00 cyborgs come across Gumbo, an old farmer and his young grandson Bongo being confronted by three men in white. They seem to be in a dispute over Gumbo's land and the soil's effects on the crops. One of the men was about to strike Gumbo, when his grandson intervenes. The arrival of G-Junior and Chang also scares the three men away and stops further disputes. After G-Junior and Chang question the old farmer about a geothermal energy controller, Gumbo points them in the direction of a large building called the "Future Agricultural Sciences Centre". He explains that it is a government-owned research facility that is supposedly used to develop ways to improve farming. However, many who tried to come close to the building disappeared mysteriously. This alerts G-Junior and Chang's suspicious about the building; Chang especially since he was once a farmer himself. The 00 cyborgs later reunite and group up in Gumbo's home, where they learn about Chang and G-Junior's findings. Suddenly they hear loud barking noises and Bongo crying for help. Then a mysterious voice speaks to all present, threatening to harm Bongo if the 00 cyborgs don't leave Palneshia. Alarmed, the 00 cyborgs decide to respond to the threat; while Francoise keeps watch over Gumbo, the others go to try rescue Gumbo's grandson. Meanwhile, inside the building, a frightened Bongo is strapped to an operating table while the three men who earlier tried to attack his grandfather loom over him. After arriving at the building, Joe notices that the ground temperature has risen significantly. Pyunma suspects that it is due to the geothermal energy controller hidden inside. The 00 cyborgs then enter the building's front door, unaware that they are watched, where they meet a shady man in white with a beard inside. Joe tells the man that he and his friends are people who are interested in the future of agriculture and asks for a tour. The man introduces himself as the building's director and shows the 00 cyborgs around. The first room they enter is full of thorny vines. Joe later asks the director about the building's research, and the director answers that they are researching new farming techniques that would support agriculture, using new technology that allows plants to grow in ways that would not be allowed by nature. Jet notices one of the vines moving by itself as if alive and sentient, surprising and confusing him. The second room has multiple holes of varying sizes. The "director" sneaks away and traps the 00 cyborgs within the room, revealing the room itself to be a trap. The thorny vines from earlier attack the 00 cyborgs from all sides, and despite their best efforts they are incapacitated. Using quick thinking, Albert fires a missile from his knees at a hole containing a dead vine. It also creates an explosion that blows a hole in the wall, freeing the 00 cyborgs. Once out, Joe orders his friends to split up while they search for Bongo. While looking for Bongo, G-Junior and Joe discovers a stairway that leads to an open doorway. Suddenly they are attacked by a rifleman, but Joe shoots him down with his blaster, causing the man to fall down the stairway, clearly in pain. G-Junior and Joe rush at the man's side and finds a small thorny vine wrapped around his head. Before dying, the man tells the 00 cyborgs that he was only following someone's orders. Meanwhile the "director" watches the 00 cyborgs through a series of cameras that show him what they are doing. One of the cameras show G-Junior and Joe, who enter a room where the geothermal energy controller is stashed. They are shortly reunited with the other 00 cyborgs, who inform him that Bongo is nowhere to be found. Suddenly they find a group of men pointing their guns at them, while thorny vines from all over the room attack. While the 00 cyborgs engage the vines, Joe disables the men and chases after the "director". When the "director" is caught by a thorny vine, Joe rescues him only to find, to his horror, that the man also had a small vine wrapping his head, revealing him to be a pawn like the other men in the building. The geothermal controller then opens its protective glass covering and reveals a talking computer. The computer introduces itself to be the true mastermind, and uses a mind-controlled Bongo as a threat to get the 00 cyborgs to leave Palneshia. To back up the threat, the computer has ordered Bongo to kill himself if any of the 00 cyborgs tried to rescue him. However, Bongo is saved when Jet flies in quickly and frees Bongo from the computer, avoiding the vines along the way, while Joe catches the boy when he falls. After saving Bongo, the 00 cyborgs find themselves attacked by vines again. To stop the attacks, Albert fires a missile at the computer. While the computer manages to protect itself, Albert's missile also manages to damage its mainframe. In an attempt to defeat the 00 cyborgs, the computer initiates a self-destruct sequence that destroys the building. Fortunately, the 00 cyborgs all manage to escape in time, along with Bongo and the brainwashed men they rescued. As everyone watches from afar, the men the 00 cyborgs saved realize their own arrogance as well as the evil things that they did in trying to control the workings of Mother Nature, seeing as their work resulted in something terrible. Chang tells them that while scientific research has its benefits, only true farmers know how Mother Nature works and are the best suited to handle her. The problems in Palneshia now resolve, the 00 cyborgs board the Dolphin and return home. Gumbo and his grandson Bongo are preparing for a future harvest and see the Dolphin flying high above them, and watch as their new friends depart. Characters The 00 Cyborgs * Ivan Whisky (001) * Jet Link (002) * Francoise Arnoul (003) * Albert Heinrich (004) * Geronimo, Jr. (005) * Chang Changku (006) * Great Britain (007) * Pyunma (008) * Joe Shimamura (009) Allies * Dr. Isaac Gilmore * Gumbo * Bongo Enemies * The geothermal energy controller Trivia * A second part of the 1979 anime's opening theme Taga Tame ni plays while the 00 cyborgs travel to the Republic of Palneshia. Video Release This episode was released on Disc Three of the Cyborg 009 1979 Collection Blu-Ray Vol. 1 set in Japan on November 11, 2015.http://shop.toei-video.co.jp/products/detail.php?product_id=15803 Toei Video Amazon Japan Category:Cyborg 009 (1979) Category:1979 Episodes